Believe it or not, the makers and founders of Teh Botol did not initially plan to sell teas in bottles. Their main initial business was Teh Cap.
So how did the idea of using glass bottles come about?
It started when the marketers (or as how they would be called today) went to the the markets in Jakarta and introduced the tea to their potential customers by sampling.
1) Samples by brewing and serving on the spot (Failed)
Their first attempt at sampling did not turn out so good as they brewed and gave out the tea on the spot (let's imagine its one of those live demonstrations of making teh tarik). So you can imagine the people getting impatient while waiting for their samples.
3) Samples by transporting the brewed tea (Failed)
The first attempt did not work so they tried brewing the tea in the factory and then the hot pots of tea would be transported by trucks. Roads, back then in Jakarta, are not like the smooth roads we have in Singapore now, so it was definitely a long and bumpy ride. Again this failed because the only thing sampling the tea, is the truck itself from all the spills.
4) Samples in glass bottles (SUCCESS!)
Then finally, the ingenious idea to carry the tea in clean glass bottled, all brewed and ready to drink. Thus, TEH BOTOL SOSRO is born! Tadaa!
It was the first of its kind in Indonesia and around the world!